Tephrosia apollinea seed: a new rich source of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids, tocopherols, sterols, and squalene

Abstract

Tephrosia apollinea is a legume species, native to southwest Asia and northeast Africa, rich in bioactive flavonoids (hydrophilic com- pounds). T. apollinea seeds were not considered previously as a potential source of lipophilic compounds such as: essential fatty acids, tocopherols, sterols, and squalene, hence, the present study were performed. The oil yield in T. apollinea seeds amounted to 11.8% dw. The T. apollinea seed oil was predominated by the poly- unsaturated fatty acids - linoleic (26.8%) and a-linolenic (22.7%). High levels were recorded also for oleic (27.6%) and palmitic (14.9%) acids. Four tocopherols and one tocotrienol, with the dom- ination of c-tocopherol (98%) were identified in T. apollinea seed oil. The b-sitosterol (59%), D5-stigmasterol (21%) and campesterol (9%) were detected as main sterols in T. apollinea seed oil. The total content of tocochromanols, sterols, carotenoids and squalene in the T. apollinea seed oil was 256.7, 338.1, 12.5 and 1103.8mg/ 100 g oil, respectively. T. apollinea seeds oil, due to the high con- centration of lipophilic bioactive compounds can find a potential application in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry